Good Talk
by watchoutforfallingdinosaurs
Summary: AU. When Rachel is expected to give relationship advice to her best friend Garfield, she ends up in need of some relationship advice of her own.


"I don't know, Rae, I've just never been so into a girl before."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

At this, Garfield frowned down at his drink, as if it personally had taken his laissez-faire approach to his love life and stomped on it. "But this is _me_ we're talking about. I'm not supposed to do the whole 'commitment' thing."

Rachel had to stifle a laugh. "So...your plan is...?"

"To run, as usual." Garfield smirked. "Maybe? Not really. Tara's just so awesome, like, she's cool and funny and she just seems, I don't know, kind of vulnerable. But not too much. Like, not so much that she's clingy, but not keeping you at arms' length, either." He looked up at Rachel somewhat apologetically. Of all the words he could use to describe the dark haired girl across from him, vulnerable was not on the list. "No offense."

"None taken," Rachel replied, with all of the emotion of a stone wall.

"But, I mean, I just got to college!" Sighing as loudly as he could manage, Garfield slumped over with his head in his hands. Rachel rolled her eyes. He'd always had this flair for the dramatic. "I can't remove myself from the dating pool so soon!"

Unceremoniously, Rachel firmly grasped the scrawny blond boy's shoulders and picked him back up. "It's not a marriage proposal. Or is there something you're not telling me?"

He shot her a quick glare. "Besides, how will the other ladies take the news? They're gonna be, like, so bummed."

"They'll be leaping from bridges left and right. The idea of a monogamous Gar will undoubtedly cause an uproar."

Garfield gave her a playful grin, taking her sarcasm in stride as always. "Ha ha, Rae, very funny. Seriously, though. I'm not sure I'm ready for a legit relationship right now."

Neither was Rachel, but she _was_ quite positive that she'd never understand exactly what it was he was driving at. Rachel only had a few close friends, and no one she'd want to be...well, _intimate_ with, nor could she even fathom the possibility of doing so with someone who was practically a stranger. Garfield, on the other hand, had no such boundaries. Being the social butterfly that he was, Garfield could get along with pretty much anyone, and hit it off with any girl willing to put up with the frequent lame jokes. He came home with a different girl every weekend, but for all his charm, he didn't seem to be able to, or want to, keep any of them around.

Rachel thought briefly about her own dating history. She'd had one relationship in her life that she could describe as meaningful, which had been broken off abruptly when she learned that the boy in question had been using her for her academic abilities. Yet here she was working through Garfield's relationship woes. How this somewhat awkward task became hers was beyond her; his roommate, Victor, seemed much more knowledgable in this area, and was around Garfield enough to know the inner workings of his personal life. Kori was more enthusiastic, and her boyfriend Richard had Rachel's same logical strengths, but could speak from a male perspective.

Somehow, though, it was always...

"Rae?"

She snapped out of her reverie and took a sip of her drink. "Yes?"

"What should I do? Do I just go for it, or do I let it go? Or should I go for a friends with benefits thing and see how it turns out?"

All of these ideas sounded ridiculous to Rachel, but she knew better than to phrase it that way. Rachel sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't exactly know how this hooking up stuff works." She slowly raised her eyes to the ceiling and focused intently on the glow-in-the-dark stars and planets that decorated Gar's room. "It's completely foreign to me. I was never into that scene."

When she looked down again, Garfield had an odd, inquisitive look on his face, as though he were trying to figure something out. Finally, he met her gaze and said, "Well, of course not."

Rachel's eyes widened before she realized what facial expression she was making, and she quickly returned to her default, stoic expression.

Garfield continued. "I mean, that doesn't surprise me at all. You're not the kind of girl that I'd want to hook up with. You don't have the right personality, and anyway, you'd probably just cold shoulder me."

For reasons Rachel couldn't quite understand, her heart sank a little at his words. But why should it have? She knew that what he said was true. Rachel wasn't the type of girl to flirt, or party, or do much of anything social at all, apart from sipping tea and spending lazy afternoons with what few friends she had. The thought of a boy, especially Gar, attempting to get her in bed was ludicrous, and it wasn't anything she would ever want, anyway. Casual intimacy made her extremely uncomfortable, and she probably wouldn't recognize a boy flirting with her if he was waving a "GO OUT WITH ME" flag.

She looked down at her tea, stirring it just to have something to do. "I know. I'd never be receptive to that kind of behavior."

But Garfield was shaking his head, and his big green eyes were studying her face. "No, Rae, it's not that. It's just..." He paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "No one in his right mind would ruin their chances with you that way."

That was the last thing Rachel had expected to hear. Her head snapped right back up at him, and just as rapidly, Garfield's eyes were locked on the floor, a blush creeping onto his face. Rachel was struggling with an appropriate response, but she managed to mutter out a "Thank you" and look away from the mortified boy in front of her.

The two sat in an awkward silence for a while, until Garfield had mustered up the courage to continue. "So, um, about Tara..."

"Yes." Rachel was grateful for the sudden change of topic.

Garfield's embarrassment had been replaced with a glint in his eye, the kind he got when he had a wild idea and thought that he could bring Rachel along for the ride. "I gotta get to know her better. Do you think Tara would be into me if I wrote her poetry? You could help me and make sure it's good and grammar-y and stuff."

Rachel allowed a rare, small smile to grace her lips. "Very romantic of you, but why don't you just ask her out for coffee?"

"That sounds like a way better plan." Involuntarily, Garfield let out a great yawn and sprawled out on his bed. "Bedtime!" he said sleepily. "Good talk, Rae. Thanks."

Rachel rose from her spot on the bed and took the few steps necessary to get to the door. "No problem. Good night."

She opened the door and started to make her way out into the hall when she heard Garfield's sheets rustle behind her. As Rachel turned on the spot to see why Garfield was getting out of bed, she was met with those handsome green eyes and the same reckless expression he always wore. Before she could even process what was in front of her, Rachel felt a quick peck on her cheek and a tingling heat spreading across her features.

"Good night, Rae. Thanks for listening."

She didn't even give him enough time to get out of the doorway before she was trying to close the door. One yelp of pain and mumbled apology later, Rachel was rushing down the corridor. She wasn't sure about much at that moment, but she thought that maybe she finally understood why so many girls had put up with those lame jokes.


End file.
